Cincinnati (29-5, 16-2 American) was beaten 71-56 by a more talented, and better coached SMU (30-4, 17-1 American) team on Sunday. The Bearcats came out flat and never truly recovered. The game felt more like Tulane versus SMU than Cincinnati versus SMU. It was their worst game of the year and it came at one of the most inopportune moments — the AAC Championship game.
The Mustangs have now beaten the Bearcats twice this year, and both times the Bearcats were essentially out of contention with five to ten minutes remaining. This time, they were out of it almost immediately.